Albania

       Albania is a country in Europe’s Balkan Peninsula next to Greece. Now I have to be honest. I didn’t really know anything about Albania. So this was fun for me. I love learning about new places.       

  First thing I learned was that the language is unique. I read that it is hard to learn due to its lack of relation to other languages. I think it would be cool to speak a different language. I’m not sure that I could, I don’t even speak english very well.        There are some really interesting things to see in Albania. There are thousands of bunkers, built during the cold war. Some have been turned into museums or even restaurants. Bunk'Art 2 in the city of Tirana would be somewhere I would like to visit. Between the art and the history, I can’t see visiting this country and not going. Reja "The Cloud"  is also in the city of Tirana. It is a really wonderful art installation that can be found in front of the national art gallery.

    If you are a beach lover, this seems like the perfect place to go. There are several to choose from. I would choose Pulebardha Beach in Saranda. Mostly because of the views. There are mountains that line the sandy beach. And the water is so blue in the photos I almost think they are photoshopped. But I clicked through many and can see that is not the case. If the beach isn’t for you but you love a waterfall then you may want to visit The Blue Eye in Vlore. It is a spring that has a cave underwater that can be explored while scuba diving.    

    My dream thing to see in Albania would be the castles. There are 158 of them! Can you believe that many castles in a country that is only 11,100 square miles. That is about the size of the state of Maryland.  My top two picks would be Kruja Castle in the city of Kruja. The other would be Berat Castle in the city of Berat. 

    

            When I started looking at the food of Albania, I started to see some of the past and a lot of their culture and influences. In 2009 Albania became a NATO member. Before that they were a communist country that was often occupied by other countries like Ottoman Turks, Germany and Italy. The food is influenced by Hungary, Italy, Greece and Turkey. 

      The dishes that look the most appealing to me are Byrek and meat and veggie filled pastry. Petulla is like a mix between a doughnut and a pancake, it looks like a yummy treat! Then there is Gjellë , It is like a lamb stew with herbs and veggies.     

    I hope you have enjoyed learning a bit about the country of Albania as much as I did. Thank you all for reading!